Historical evolution of psychology - Assignment Example

With the coming of modern psychologist and philosopher soon science replaced religion to became the modern day philosophy, with the ‘quest for truth’ becoming the ultimate God. Psychology, a discipline in the modern day branch of science, is a study of the human mind and its behavioral aspects. As Angell (1973) defines it “Psychology is commonly defined as the science of consciousness” (Angell, 1973). It is derived from the Greek words psukhe meaning the mind, the spirit or the soul and logia meaning, the study of.

This study of the soul or mind goes long back into history and its origin can be traced back to the ancient Greek, Chinese and Indian philosophy. Psychology had always been a part of Philosophy from times long past, however in 1879 it became a separate science. In 1874 Wilhelm Wundt a German physiologist published a book known as Principles of Physiological Psychology, where he related the two branches of science, Physiology and Psychology. In 1879 when he first started a psychology lab in the University of Leipzig, it marked the official separation of Psychology from Philosophy.

Psychology which is a study of the mind, deals with something that cannot be applied or felt by the physical senses of a human being. From the very start of civilization man has been contemplating on the very nature of human soul or the spirit. There was also the urge to explain many of the natural phenomenons like the lightning, the storm, the rains, the different phases of the moon and many other similar occurrences that affected the lives of the ancient people. The various questions and the urge to find an answer to all of them soon brought in the concept of animism and anthropomorphism, where nature was attributed with certain human characteristics.

Often the term ‘ghost’ or spirit was used, that was granted to be present in all animate or inanimate objects, and was assumed to be the